Halibut is the name of three kinds of large, commercially important flatfishes. The name comes from the word holy and refers to the fact that the fish were once widely eaten on Christian holy days. All three species have a flat body and spend much of the time lying on the sea bottom. Both eyes occur on the right side of the body, which is dark brown. The left side of the body, on which the fish lie, is white.
The largest species, the Atlantic halibut, can grow over 9 feet (2.7 meters) long. It lives mainly in the northern Atlantic Ocean. The Pacific halibut inhabits the northern Pacific Ocean and can grow over 7 feet (2 meters) in length. The smaller Greenland halibut grows to just under 4 feet (120 centimeters) long and inhabits the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic oceans.
An important food fish, halibut are caught with hooks tied a short distance apart on long lines. The hooks are baited and then dropped to the ocean bottom. Halibut flesh has a mild, pleasant flavor.
See also Fishing industry (Fishery conservation); Flatfish; Flounder.
